My favorite holiday is less than two weeks away! Thanksgiving has always been the most beautiful holiday for me! I love that it is in the middle of the week where we are forced to slow down and spend some time reflecting on what we are most thankful for. Since becoming a mom, this holiday has taken on an entire new meaning. I knew that I wanted to pass my love for this very simple, yet beautiful holiday down to each and every one of my kiddos. I still think that most of them would say their favorite holiday is Christmas, (which I also love), but they love Thanksgiving too!
Thanksgiving for me is NOT a day of eating turkey and pumpkin pie. I don’t even like turkey, and I despise Pumpkin Pie! (Maybe I’m not American!) It is NOT a day for me to sit around the table watching football…again, I don’t care for watching football, unless my son is playing! It is a day where I get to slow down, begin the day with Mass, and follow it up by hanging out with those most dear to me. I also spend a considerable amount of time reflecting upon the gifts God has given to me.
When I got married and we had children I wanted to make sure that Thanksgiving was celebrated well. That it wasn’t just a hold over for Christmas, but a very special holiday all by itself. We began spending the entire month of November reflecting on what we are thankful for and sharing a special gift with each other each day. We write down what we are thankful for each day and drop it into a jar and tell each other why we chose that item for the day. By Thanksgiving, we have a beautiful jar full of wonderful graces that God has gifted us. On that day we spend some time looking through the jar and giving thanks all over again.
Friends, as you prepare for the joyous holiday of Thanksgiving I challenge you to start slowing down now and thinking of something you are thankful for each day until then. Once Thanksgiving arrives your heart will have a disposition of thankfulness that is so necessary in our world today! What we have, even our challenges, are gifts from God above. May we embrace these gifts with love and give glory to him for all He has done, is doing, and will do in our lives! Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
